Akiel Flemming, 35, was jailed for 16 years after raping and sexually assaulting female students at the University of Wolverhampton during Freshers’ Week
A rapist who prowled university halls and attacked female students has died in the jail dubbed ‘Monster Mansion’ where paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was killed
Akiel Flemming raped an undergraduate and sexually assaulted another after creeping into her room in a hall of residence at the University of Wolverhampton. He also targeted a third woman who was sleeping beside her boyfriend.
Flemming, then 25, of Albert Avenue, Manchester, was arrested on the same day as the assaults, October 1, 2016. He was charged with rape, sexual assault and trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence. Flemming rejected the allegations and maintained that the sexual contact was consensual after being welcomed into the halls.
A jury refused to accept his version of events and he was convicted on all charges. He was handed a 16-year jail term and instructed to register on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life at Wolverhampton Crown Court in June 2017, reports Birmingham Live.
It has now emerged that the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is examining Flemming’s death. It was revealed that the 35-year-old passed away at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire on Wednesday, April 22. The probe into the circumstances surrounding his death continues. The Ministry of Justice has also confirmed the death. A Prison Service spokesperson said: “As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is investigating. We will respond to its findings, and any recommendations by the coroner, in due course.”
Wakefield Prison has earned the nickname ‘Monster Mansion’ owing to the vast number of notorious, high-risk sex offenders and killers held behind bars there. During the Category A facility’s inspection last year, approximately two-thirds of its inmates were serving sentences for sexual crimes.
It is the same prison where Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins, who was serving 29 years for child sexual offences, was fatally attacked in his cell on October 11 last year. Two men have pleaded not guilty to his murder and proceedings continue.
During Flemming’s sentencing, Judge Patrick Thomas QC declared he was in “no doubt you represent a significant risk to the public”.
Det Con Tom Keady, from West Midlands Police’s Public Protection Unit, also stated at the time: “Flemming’s actions were shocking.
“He prowled the corridors of the multi-occupancy accommodation and committed all three offences on the same morning during Fresher’s week targeting fellow students. All three of Flemming’s victims have been greatly affected and their studies were interrupted.”
